1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of commercial laundry equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a feed system for an ironer, folder or the like providing for multiple serially-located stations or positions, each of which is effective to provide garments to the ultimate ironer or folder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In laundry-handling systems, the clothing, after drying, is often provided for folding, ironing and packaging in large bundles. Often, the ironing, folding and completing of the laundering steps are effected by an individual operator being supplied with garments and feeding them one-at-a-time to the appropriate ironing or folding equipment. This is a vast improvement over the older systems where each individual was provided with a table or automatic ironer, etc., to operate.
An exemplary feeding system for the folders is disclosed in Carothers et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,464. The Carothers system uses two conveyors, the second being mounted inside the first. Clean diapers are placed on the lower inside of the first or larger conveyor and individually removed by various individuals who fold the diapers. Any overflow from the folding operation is returned by the second conveyor, and the top of the first conveyor is used to return unacceptable diapers to a rewashing basket. The system, however, requires individuals at plural stations to fold each diaper.
In another system, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,813,229 to Constable, dirty clothes are fed to individual compartments on a conveyor line and are sequentially sorted by color and character into bundles in individual units. The steps are performed by separate operators. The resulting small bundles are netted and marked for washing by two more operators. Thus, each position on the conveyor performs a different function. Also, Blume in U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,942 discloses a plural-station conveyor system for sorting clothes into light, medium and heavy-soiled groups. The conveyor provides the clothes to a plurality of operators who pick up individual articles and deposit them on three other conveyors which are designated for the light, medium and heavy-soil characteristics. Thus, in Blume, plural serially-arranged sorting stations, each performing the same function, are provided.
In the sorting art relating to other types of items, various transverse feed systems are known. For example, Young et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,236 disclose a single station reversible conveyor system which feeds meat to a scale and then transversely wraps, seals and marks the weighed item. Nevills in U.S. Pat. No. 1,624,175 utilizes a gear type of system to separate and individually feed pieces to a conveyor operating in a longitudinal direction.
Also, Sylvester et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,583, and Shanklin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,983 both disclose single-item feed from a station to a transversely operated belt. Shanklin et al deal with a wrapping or sealing operation and do not disclose plural feed stations. Sylvester et al deal with a system for heat-sealing packages that are, at least, slightly irregular.
There is clearly a need in the art for a system to rapidly feed individual articles, such as towels, shirts, etc., to ironing and folding machines. A commercial ironer, in particular, is in need of any associated system which can increase the throughput of the ironer. The ironer is among the more expensive machines in a commercial laundry operation. A single ironer may be run with five lanes in parallel; that is, five girls feeding articles into the ironer at the inlet end and five separate folders associated with the ironer at the inlet or outlet. Such an arrangement not only allows a single machine to be used in conjunction with more feeders and more folders, but it also allows a mix in the types of items being processed through the folder at the same time. For example, napkins or other items requiring a french fold may be sent through a french fold lane, whereas other items requiring perhaps a quarter or half fold may be sent through another lane adapted to fold the items accordingly. In such an arrangement as now known in the art, the speed of processing items in ironing and folding the finished goods is essentially limited by the number of lanes which can be operated in parallel.